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An Art Patron’s Life’s Lessons for Success

Chief Edokpolo sharing his message with the audience during the art exhibition

I spent my
Sunday evening in a very entertaining way for the first time after so much
running around during weekends. It was an exhibition event that took place in
the Lagos Museum, Onikan. It wasn’t my first time of visiting the Museum as I often attend art exhibitions,
since I write for the Art Desk in my newspaper. But this was a different
experience that actually came from the Art Patron, Chief John Edokpolo whose
special heritage pieces of artworks were being exhibited.

Although
Chief Edokpolo has always worked in a different sector of the economy, hehas continued to promote art and culture
through sponsorship programmes and patronage. When he was called upon to come
and give his welcome speech, his request for all present to take a sheet of
paper and pen for writing caught my fancy. I already had pen and paper, but
wondered what he wanted to do until he said, “This is just to share with you
some life’s lessons on how you can become successful in life. I did not learn
it from a school, but from people who I happen to have come across or worked
with.” The good thing was that he didn’t force anybody to take down the tips,
but enjoined those who may find it valuable to take down the notes.

Here is what
I got from that effortless lesson:

·World’s
most troublesome troublemaker is Mr ‘They Said’. Who said it cannot be traced.
It simply means that working with rumours rather than facts can cause a person
to remain stagnated.

·Everyone
has an ‘invisible guardian’, but for you to succeed in life, you must work in
hand with your feet, which surely should have eyes. The reason is so that you
walk with your feet to places where you can find valuable things to do.

·You
need good education. Beyond knowledge gained from the classroom, you must be
ready to learn from people you work with and interact with, by doing that, you
learn many things that can help develop your person totally.

·You
must fish out detractors and keep them away; least they kill your dreams. You
must also carry on the spirit of perseverance.

Other
words of wisdom are:

·A
dog will defeat a monkey in any battle if it has a godfather; simply put, a mentor will always support you to succeed.

·Fortune
will only favour the brave.

·Your
first child helps to determine the extent of your progress.

·Some
mysteries of life are from; man’s own mistake, man’s inhumanity to man.